Turning Tables
by doglover5102
Summary: What if Prowl did have a family, but not in the way everyone expected. / Prowl is a stoic, efficient autobot tactician who is responsible for the entire autobot faction. Rainstorm is a stubborn, hardworking former enforcer with a soft spark who only wants to help. But when Praxus falls autbots begin to see their SIC in a new light. / ProwlXOCFemme / Some cybertronian cursing


**Astrosecond = .498 seconds**

**Klik= 1.2 minutes**

**Breem= 8.3 minutes**

**Joor= 1 hour**

**Orn= 13 days **

**Decacycle = 10 weeks**

**Solar cycle= 1 year**

**Vorn ****= 83 years**

I could feel my mate's anguish clearly across the bond. While his faceplates remained impassive, showing only the emotionless tactician and SIC that every mech and femme on base knew, I could feel what no one else could.

Prowl and I had known each other since we were sparklings, when we lived in the same housing sector. We've been best friends since we were both sent to the same enforcer academy as younglings. He and I were partners when we worked in the same tactician sector in the Praxus police department. Now, we shared a war together as sparkmates.

But no matter how prepared the autobots were for the war, no one - not even my lovable Prowler - could have expected Megatron to have sunk so low.

I was entering Iacon for the first time in a decacycle when I received the transmission. My position in the war was not a well known one, but an important one at that. I was head of neutral evacuation, housing, and protection. This meant it was not only my responsibility to find and rehome neutrals and younglings, but also to ensure their evacuations, protection, and supplies. It was a department of the army that was not often thought of and, as my job took me away from Iacon central regularly, I rarely attended command meetings. Prowl, as autobot SIC and my sparkmate kept me in the loop with the bond. Other than Jazz, Prime was the only command staff who knew I what the Neutral extraction department was, or that Prowl and I were bonded.

/_Praxus was bombed_/ Jazz commed. /_Prowl just left with a small search party to look for survivors_/

My tanks rolled. Praxus. My _home_. _Prowl's_ home. /_How is the situation?_/

Jazz was quiet for a moment. /_Rain… Rainstorm, it doesn't look good. That's all I can say at the moment_/

/_I'll turn around now. I can meet them there_/ My tires squealed but I pinged the civilian convoy to continue towards the neutral barracks side of the base.

/_Negative. Prime wants you to continue back with the neutrals, get them settled, then report to command room Beta for a staff meeting_/

Shock shot through my systems and I felt Prowl's questioning prod. I sent him a wave of reassurance and comfort back briefly before a promise to explain later. /_But I've _never _attended a command meeting. In fact - I've never really been in the veteran side of the base. You and Prowl always come to the neutral side_/

/_Neutral cities are now being targeted, Rain._/ Jazz's vocalizer hissed with static. /_Your department just got involved with army actions_/

I sent a ping of acknowledgment then cut off the link. Beside me, my second in command, Hardwire, revved his engine questioningly. "What happened?"

"Jazz just commed." Like the rest of the regular base civilians and neutrals, Hardwire knew about Prowl and I, and was good friends with Jazz. "Praxus was bombed. Prime ordered that the neutral extraction department be included in army matters from now on as neutrals are being specifically targeted."

'Wire rocked on his wheels in surprise. "Seriously?"

I hummed in acknowledgement just before a sudden pressure from the inside of my chassis has me slamming on my brakes. Quickly transforming I rubbed a servo over my spark chamber, hissing in slight pain. 'Come on, Sweetspark. Let up on Momma please. That hurts.'

Hardwire transformed as well and placed a servo on my shoulder plating. "The sparkling?" He said it more as a declaration than a question, but I nodded anyway. Finally, the pressure dissipated and all that was left was the slowly growing tightness of my chest. Hardwire suddenly started chuckling. "Prowl's gonna have his hands full with that one."

I shot my second a fierce glare. "For your information, he was ecstatic to hear he was going to be a father."

"I never said he wasn't."

My vents hitched for a second as my sparkling gave another jerk, seeming to tell me to hurry up. "Ok, that one hurt."

Hardwire just kept laughing, his massive frame shaking from the force of his chuckles.

* * *

As soon as First Aid, the head medic for my division, had given Hardwire and I the all clear - with a quick warning for me to remain cautious - the two of us made our way to the army side of the base. On the way over I contacted Prowl via bond.

_[Hey, Sweetspark.]_ I remained subdued and quiet, sending my love towards him. _[How are you doing?]_

His spark brushed up against mine, and I savoured the complete and whole feeling I felt from the bond with Prowl. _[I've been better.]_ He murmured. _[How are you?] _

I filed away his change in topic for later and sent over reassurance. _[I'm perfectly fine. _Both _of us are.] _

A little stress seemed to lift off of his spark at that and I smiled at his genuine concern. Hardwire looked bemused. "So where are we going? Or are you too busy flirting with your sparkmate?"

I slapped him on the chestplates and spoke to Prowl. _[Hardwire and I are on the way over to you. We were requested for the command meeting next joor]_

His surprise echoed in my own spark. _[I'm in the medbay now, if you and Hardwire wish to join me here]_

_[MEDBAY?] _

_[I am uninjured, Rain]_

_[Yeah, for now!]_ I snapped the connection shut, ignoring his attempts to placate me and sped up my pace, much to the confusion of my companion.

"What happened, Rain?" His longer legs easily keeping stride with my fast walk.

I gritted my denta. "Prowl has seen fit to land himself in the medbay."

"Is he ok?"

"He is uninjured. Whether or not he is ok remains to be seen."

Hardwire wiped a servo down his face plates with a loud sigh, catching the attention of some of the surrounding autobots. "Oh, Primus."

* * *

With a determined destination in my step, my pedes hardly faltered as I flung open the medbay doors, glossia at the front of my mouth ready for a lashing, when my optics landed on the small figure next to my sparkmate.

Correction: hiding behind my sparkmate.

My words dissipated in a hiss of static, as my femme instincts kicked in. My doorwings lowered to a non threatening position and I put a small comforting smile on my face plates.

"WHAT are you DOING?" Hardwire looked utterly flummoxed at the chartreuse medic, and I jumped at the sudden yell, optics widening. "You do NOT get barge into MY medbay and disturb MY patients!"

"Ratchet-" Prowl attempted to intervene.

"You be quiet, Prowl!" Ratchet's servo closed over two wrenches. "Just how did you know we were HERE?"

Prowl called for Ratchet again, this time seeming to be agitated. However, I could feel his worry through the bond.

"Get OUT!"

With a flick of the medic's wrist,the first wrench sailed over my helm and clanged against Hardwire's chassis with a slight hiss of his intakes. The other wrench was pulled back, before a servo closed over Ratchet's arm, stormy optics glinting dangerously at the medic.

Ratchet was so startled by the sudden intervention that he dropped the wrench. "You will not throw that wrench, Ratchet unless you with to be on the receiving end of my anger, and quite possibly Hardwire's as well."

His voice never rose above a deadly whisper. Never fell below a stern warning.

"I told Rainstorm where we were because I trust her and Hardwire. Rainstorm is allowed access to wherever I go and Hardwire, as her second, is verified to remain at her side."

_[I know you may be worried for me, Rainstorm, but please refrain from angering Ratchet. I do not wish to see you nor our creation injured]_

I shifted uneasily, suddenly hyper aware of the tightness in my chassis. _[I know, Prowl. Thank you]_

Prowl pulled back from the stunned Ratchet and made his way to me, placing a hand on either shoulder to inspect me. _[Are you sure you are uninjured?]_

_[Positive. First Aid checked us out]_ With that final relief, Prowl pulled me into a tight hug. One that I easily returned. _[Little looser, Sweetspark. You are squishing my chassis]_

_[Sorry]_ He relinquished his hold and nodded to Hardwire. "It is good to see you alive and functioning, Hardwire."

Wire smiled wide and thumped Prowl on the shoulder, knocking the smaller mech off balance. "Prowl, mech, is it great to see you." His optics gained a sudden mischievousness. "Now I have someone to gang up with when Rain decides to postpone medical visits."

I froze and began to inch away. Prowl leveled me with a look before I could get very far. "Rainstorm." His words were firm and I shivered as a chill went up my back plating. "Why are you skipping medical visits?"

"I never skipped them. I was just busy so I had to go in later than planned."

Hardwire snorted. "Uh huh. What about that time on the mission to Tyger Pax?"

Traitor, I thought silently. "That was the mother and her son, remember?"

"That small town four decacycles ago?"

"Ambush." I deadpanned.

"Three joors ago?"

"... Ok that was me."

_[Rain…] _Prowl pleaded.

I felt terrible and I sent my guilt over the bond, along with the mental images of why I missed each visit. _[I'm sorry. I try, Prowler. And I do make it to each one - just not necessarily on time] _

_[I see that. It's not that I don't believe you. I know you to well for that. On the contrary, I know you are too much like me and will forget to care for yourself in order to help others] _His servo brushed lightly over my arm. _[I don't want to lose you]_

_[And you won't. I promise]_

"Ok, lovebots, keep the conversation where we can all hear it." Hardwire called, humor evident in his vocalizer.

Prowl twitched a doorwing in embarrassment and annoyance. "Do you _really_ want to hear what is being said?"

Hardwire had a thoughtful look for a few astroseconds before he paled. "Nevermind."

Prowl nodded approvingly at the larger mech before taking my servo in his and gently leading me towards the berth. As we passed Ratchet the medic looked like he was going to protest. My sparkmate ignored the CMO and stopped a step away from the sparkling. "Rainstorm, this is Bluestreak. We found him and another sparkling in the rubble of Praxus." Prowl's voice grew even softer, coming close to the tones he used with me when I awakened from recharge because of bad memory cycles. "Bluestreak, this is my sparkmate Rainstorm."

Hardwire stayed by the door and, using my doorwing sensors, I could tell Ratchet had frozen where he stood a few steps away, mouth hanging open. I knew Prowl was professional on the job, which was any time he was on the military side of the base for the most part. And that small fact included not voluntarily sharing personal information for no reason. I knew he had no problem with others knowing of our relationship - he was actually quite open about it when helping with the neutrals and evacuees - but I realized we were going to be getting a lot a startled looks when I started to frequent this side of base.

I released a small gust of air through my vents and chose to focus my attention on Bluestreak instead.

Kneeling down in front of the sparkling, I smiled softly, dropping my doorwings in a symbol of trust. "Heya, Blue. Prowl told me you were rescued." His little wings trembled. "I know you must have been very scared, and you probably still are, but I know you can be brave."

He looked at me questionably, uncurling a little from his huddle. I took that as a sign to continue. "You could be hurt though, and I don't want you to feel bad. All Ratchet needs to do is run a scan so he can make sure you're okay. I won't let anything happen to you - I promise."

Bluestreak reached forward and ran a digit over my chevron, then touched his own, trilling softly. "Yes, Bluestreak. I'm a Praxian, just like you. Just like Prowl." Blue climbed down from the berth and jumped into my arms clinging to my crouched frame tightly. One glance up showed Prowl right behind me, a servo gently touching between the tiny doorwings as comfort.

The sparkling looked nervously at Ratchet, then back at Prowl and I. He clicked and pressed closer to my chestplates.

_[Prowl, would you be willing to demonstrate how the scan works and that its okay?]_

His optics flickered to me in surprise. _[What do you mean?]_

_[Just sit down and let Ratchet scan you. Show Blue that it won't hurt him]_

Prowl sent a confirmation and then turned to the sparkling, kneeling down beside me. "Bluestreak, would you be willing to do the scan if I showed you it is okay first?"

The sparklet chirped and nodded, optics brightening, and Prowl stood up and turned to Ratchet, who was watching the exchange.

He looked like he was torn between glitching on the spot and cooing over how adorable the scene was. "Ratchet, run the scan on me first, to show Bluestreak that nothing bad will come of it."

The CMO snapped out of his shock and held up the scanner slowly. After a moment, the machine beeped, signaling the end of the process. "That's it. It will not hurt you, sparkling."

Bluestreak nodded and patted me on the chest. "Don't worry, Blue. I won't leave you." That was all the reassurance he needed before he faced Ratchet. Still trembling, though clearly not as much, he stood still. No sooner than it had begun, the scan was over and Ratchet relaxed.

"There is no damage any more than cosmetic. He could us a wash, but that is all." Prowl, Hardwire, and I all sighed in relief. Prowl spared a glance at me, where I was still on the floor next to Bluestreak.

_[You will make an amazing mother] _

I felt a small wave of terror and trepidation rise in me. _[I hope so]_

Ratchet, oblivious to our conversation, turned to Prowl. "Since when do _you_ of all mechs have a _sparkmate_?"

"Since before the war, Ratchet. Rainstorm and I have known each other for a long time."

I suddenly realized something. "Who is going to watch him during the meeting?"

"Maybe you could, since he seems so comfortable with you." Ratchet suggested, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Prowl shook his head. "She will going to the meeting as well." A small amount of mischief fluttered across the bond from his side, and I narrowed my optics at him.

_[What are you plotting now?]_

_[If stays as quiet as he has been, and we take an empty datapad…] _My own processor caught on to what he was suggesting.

_[We could essentially bring him to the meeting and just keep him somewhere hidden]_ I smiled suddenly, creeping out Hardwire. _[Like under the table!]_

_[I will inform Prime of this plan, and see what his views of it are]_

Ratchet looked back and forth between Prowl and I, then glanced at the large mech by the door. "Do they do this often?"

"Unfortunately."

Both onlookers froze as the two sparkmates turned and said in sync, "We have a plan."

Bluestreak just nuzzled deeper into my chassis and clicked softly.


End file.
